Filing-receptacle



(No Model.) A L BROWN 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

FILING REGBPTAGLE.

No. 379,560 I v Patented MggzZO, 1888.

N4 PETEBS. Phnlo-Lilhognpher. Wahinflan. cu;

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet. 2.

'A.- L. BROWN. FILING REGEPTAGLE.

No. 379,560 Patented Mar. 20, 1888.

n FEI'ERE. Fhctu-Lilhognpher, Washington. 0. c,

(No Model.) 7 3' Sheets-Sheet 3.

A. L. BROWN.

FILING IREUEPITAGLE. No. 379,560 Patentedlvlar. 20, 1888'.

ofaamzqy,

N. PETERS, Pholwlithngrnpher, Wzshingion. D.C.

UNITED STATES FILING-RECEPTACLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,560, dated March 20, 1888.

Application filed November 21, 1883. Serial No. 112,980. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AARON L. BROWN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FilingReceptacles; and I do hereby declare that the followingisafull,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to that class of indexed filing cases or receptacles for papers in which a series of index-sheets are used for separating papers or documents placed therein, and more particularly to such receptacles in which a movable presser or clamping-plate is used to bear upon and retain the index-sheets and papers between them in place within the receptacle.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tempogary or current filing-case constructed as proposed by my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a central transverse section of the same, taken upon line a: w of Fig. 2, with the presser or clamp-plate shown in the latter figure thrown backwardly out of the case. Fig. 4 is a view from beneath of the clamp plate or presser shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 5is a transverse section of the same, taken upon line x :0 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a modified form of the presser shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the same, taken upon line mm of Fig. 6. Fig. Sis a perspective view of a presser constructed of wire. Fig. 9 is a transverse section. of the filing-case, showing a modified form of the presser shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 10 is a fragmentary top view of the presser shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a detail section taken upon line :0 at of Fig. 10. Fig. l2isasectional View taken longitudinally through the presser and through the sides of the case, showing a modified form of the parts mentioned.

A is a filing-case, which, as shown, consists of two parallel sides, A, a bottom, A", and a back piece, A and is provided with a series of index-sheets, G, forming an expansible index, and D is a rod to which theseveral sheets 'to insert the rod.

composing the index are secured, said rod being capable of removable attachment to the said case A, whereby the said rod, together with the index-sheets held thereon, may be p transferred from the temporary to a permanent case or elsewhere.

The index-sheets O, as shown, are stepped or provided with projections upon their outer edges, and bear letters or characters suitable to the purpose of the file upon the visible parts of the edges of the sheets or projections in a well-known manner. Said sheets may be connected in any desired manner with the rod D as, for instance, they may be provided with apertures near their margins through which As preferably constructed, however, they are connected with the rod D by means of metal eyes or loops 0, which engage the rod, and are attached to the middle of the rear margins of the sheets," so as to project therefrom.

The case A is, as shown, provided upon the upper margin of the back piece, A with an inwardly-projecting ledge, E, which serves to prevent the inner edges of the indexsheets from risingabove the sides of the case when the latter is full or nearly full of papers.

The rod D is, as shown, located centrally with reference to the back piece, A'Z of the case, and is attached to the case by having its lower end inserted in a notch or recess, a, in the bottom A thereof and its upper end held by a spring or other fastening device upon the upper edge of the piece A As shown and as preferably constructed,the recess a is formed by means of a slotted plate, a, secured upon the bottom A of the case, and the rod D is slotted longitudinally, so.as to form two bars, (1 and d, which are joined at their tops by means of the crosspiece d and at their lower ends are separated and provided with abutting projections d, the bars d and (1 being sufficiently flexible to allow said projections to be separated, so as to permit the loops 0 to be strung upon the rod d in attaching the index-leaves thereto.

The rod D is preferably located within a IOO outer portion, (6, into which the loops pro ject when the rod and index-sheets are in place in the case. By this construction the rear edges of the index'leaves are caused to rest or abut against the back piece, A and the rod being located within the groove, the entire depth of the case is thereby made available for letters or papers.

As a preferable construction in the devices for holding the upper end ofthc rod D in place, a spring-plate, (c, is secured to the upper edge of the piece A said plate having projecting portions a secured at their ends to the upper margin of the piece A" at points at either side of the end of the groove A and being provided with a central notch, a, which engages a projection, d, upon the upper end of said rod. The projection d is preferably inclined backwardly and downwardly upon its upper surface, so that when the lower end of the rod D is inserted in the aperture (6 and its upper end is thrust backwardly into place in the groove (6 the said inclined portion of the projection (Z will operate to force the central portion of the spring-plate a upwardly, and thus permit the said projection to pass beneath said plate until it is engaged by the notch a therein. The plate cis, as shown,constructed to overhang the edge of the back piece, A in its central portion, so as to afford a projection beneath which the finger may be placed for the purpose of lifting the plate in order to disengage it from the projection (I when it is desired to remove the rod D.

The ledge E, as shown more plainly in Fig. 2, is made in two parts, and is cut away, rounded, or beveled at its ends adjacent to the groove A", so as to leave the upper portion of the said groove free for the insertion of the upper end of the rod D and to permit access to the central projecting portion of the springplate a".

The particular construction in the rod D and means for supporting it within the receptacle herein shown are described and claimed in another application for patent, Serial No. 219,390, made by me on the 19th day of N0 vernber, 1886.

The filing-case A is, as shown, provided with a clamping-plate or presser, F, for clamping or holding the index-leaves and the papers between them in place, and the sides A of the receptacle are provided with a series of grooves or corrugations arranged parallel with a the bottom A thereof, and the said sides of the receptacle and the ends of the presser being made relatively movable, so that said ends may be'brought into contact with the sides and removed therefrom and the ends of the presser thereby engaged with and disengaged from the said corrugations, as desired.

In carrying my invention into practice the presser F is preferably made longitudinally expansible and the sides of the receptacle are made stationary. The presser may consist of two portions, which slide one upon the other, or of a central bar or plate having sliding pieces attached thereto, a spring or springs preferably being applied to the movable parts of the presser, so as to throw them outwardly and to retain the ends of the presser normally in engagement with the sides of the receptacle.

The corrugations or grooves in the sides A may be of any size or distance apart found desirable or convenient. They are preferably, however, formed of a series of narrow grooves or projections placed close together, so that the presser may be held at slightly-varying distances from the bottom of the case, and provision thus made for slight differences in the thickness of the mass of papers between the index-leaves. Such grooves may be placed close together, or the corrugations made of such size as to amount only to a roughening of the surface, it being entirely practicable when the latter construction is used to make the end pressure of the clamp-plate when it is expanded sufficient to hold the said plate securely in any position in which it may be placed.

Instead of forming the corrugations in the material of the side itself, said corrugations may obviously be made in a separate piece, or in a plate of metal secured to said side, or a. series of projecting pieces may be attached to or inserted in the said sides, so as to serve the purpose of such corrugations.

One form of the expansible presser before referred to is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2. and 8, said presser consisting of a central stationary part, F, and two movable plates, F, constructed to slide in suitable guides, f, upon the plate F and projecting at their ends beyond the end margins of the said plate. A spring, F is in this case applied at the central part of the plate F to throw the sliding plates F outwardly, said spring being secured at its cen tral portion by means of an eye, f, to the plate F and having two arms, f, constructed to press outwardly upon the inner ends of the plate F The said plates Fare, as shown, provided with upturned portions f upon their inner ends, in order to afford a hold for the fingers,by which said portions may be pressed to gether, and the sliding plates F thereby th rown inwardly and freed from engagement with the sides of the case. i

The ends of the sliding plate F which come in contact with the faces .of the sides A may be of any desired shape best adapted to engage the grooves or corrugations in the said sides. Said ends may, for instance, be beveled in order to afford a secure hold upon the sides when the grooves or corrugations are placed close together, as above described.

As an improved construction in the filingcase and presser, for the purpose of preventing the presser F from becoming entirely detached from the filing case when said presser is removed therefrom in placing papers within the case,and to thereby obviate the liability of such presser becoming misplaced or lost, the plate F of said presser, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, is connected with the case by ITO means of arms G, pivoted at one of their ends to the said presser and at the other ends to the case, said arms being preferably pivoted to the rear or inner edge of the presser at its ends and to the upper edges of the sides A of the filing-case, near the back thereof. In the construction shown the arms G are formed of one rod or piece of wire, which extends the whole length of the presser at its back edge, and is bent at right angles at each end, so as to formlhe arms. The extreinitiesg of said arms are bent outwardly at right angles and parallel with the central portion, G, of the rod,have bearings in aperturesg at the upper edge of the side pieces, A, and are held in place in said apertures by means of plates secured to the said side pieces. The arms G are, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3, preferably made of such length that when the presser is removed from the interior of the filingcase it may be swung backwardly and hang outside of and parallel with the back piece, A, thereof. The central portion, G, of the rod forming the arms G is preferably pivot. ally connected with the presser F'by means of straps g placed around said rod and secured at the ends of the plate F of the presser, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

In the use ofa temporary filing casein connection with the permanent case to which the contents thereof maybe transferred, as hereinbefore described, it is desirable to provide a means for recording upon the temporary case the disposition made of the papers removed therefron1-as, for instance, when papers or letters which have been received during a certain interval of time are transferred from the temporary case to a permanent case, it is desirable to record upon the temporary case the number or other designating-mark of the said permanent case, together with the beginning and termination of the period during which the removed letters or papers were received. For the purpose above mentioned I have provided, in connection with the current case, a suitable tablet or recording sheet, H, which is preferably secured upon the under face of the presser F, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The said recording sheet H is preferably connected with said presser, so that it may be readily removed therel'rom and a newsheetsubstituted, the devices preferably used for holding the sheet in place consisting of metal clips upon the margins of the presser, beneath which the I corners of the said sheet may be placed.

As illustrated more clearly in the detail, Figs. at and 5,'the recording-sheet H is held at its edge adjacent to the hinge-straps g by means of projectionsg from said hinge-straps, and at its corners adjacent to the free edge of said presser by means of corner-plates f*, secured to the corners thereof, as shown.

Insteadof the form of expansible presser illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, 4and 5,in which the part F thereof is composed of wood, said part may consist, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, of a plate 01' sheet metal, projecting portions 7' at each end of the rear margin of said plate being bent around the rod G in order to form a hinged joint with the said rod. "The front edge of the plate is, as shown at f", bent or folded over to form a groove to hold one edge of the index -sheet H, projections f being formed upon the portion f for the purpose of holding the opposite side of the said sheet. The sliding plates F are in this case held upon the plate F by upwardly-projecting portions f cut from the bodyof the plate and bentover the edges of the said sliding portions. The spring indicated at F Fig. 6, is constructed and operates in the manner described in connection with the similar spring shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

An expansiblc presser formed of wire is illustrated in Fig. 8, said presser consisting of a single piece of wire, I, which is bent into a rectangular form, with its detached ends at the center of its front portion, said detached ends being formed into upwardly-projecting rings 17, The said rings by being pressed togethcr operate to draw the end portions, I, of the presser inwardly, and to thereby release them from contact with the sides A of the filingcase, with which they are engaged when expanded. The wire-presser I is, as shown,

connected at its rear with the arms Gby means of eyes upon the ends of said arms, which encircle the longitudinal rear portion of the wire composing the presser.

Another means of causing the engagement of the ends of the presser F with the side pieces, A, of the filing-case is illustrated in Figs. 9, 10, and 11. In this case sliding bolts K are secured to the upper surface of the presser, said bolts being thrown outwardly by a spring, F similar to that before described, and constructed to engage at their ends a series of apertures, it, formed either in the side of the case or, as illustrated in said figures, in metal strips K, secured to or in said sides.

The apertures it, when used, will preferably be arranged in the curved line described by IIO the presser when'it is moved up and down,-

" with a receptacle having corrugated sides and arms G, connecting the presser and recepta- I cle,'may obviously be constructed in other ways than those shown and describedsuch, for instance, as are illustrated in a separate patent upon indexed tiling-cases for which application Serial No. 112,366 was made by me November 21, 1884.

The corrugations in the side pieces, A, of the filing-case (illustrated in Figs. l, 2, and

extend them from a certain point to one end 3) are shown as being located in the central portion of said sides only, the ends of the grooves terminating in vertical lines. It is sometimes found convenient in the manufacture of the cases to extend said corrugations throughout the whole length of the sides or to of the side, for the reason that a tool may be employed with better advantage to cut them in these forms; bntit is obvious that such corrugations need only be formed in a space equal to the width of the presser and in the path followed by the ends thereof when moved within the receptacle.

Instead of using an expansible presser in connection with a receptacle having station ary corrugated sides, an equivalent construction, in which the presser is non-expansible and the receptacle provided with a movable side or partsupported upon the inner face of one of its sides and held in engagement with the presser by a suitable spring or springs, may sometimes be used with advantage. Such construction is shown in Fig.12. in which a i corrugated or grooved board, M, is located l against the inner face of one or" the sides A l of the receptacle, and small blocks m, ofrubl ber,a're placed between the board and the side l piece, A. The movableboard M in the operl ation of placing the presser in the receptacle or removing it therefrom is pressed backwardly by the fingers, so as to release the end of the presser from engagement with the corrugations in its surface, and upon being released will spring forward and engage the presser. Any other form of spring than the rubber blocks shown may obviously be used in this case with the same result.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination,\vithafiling-receptacle, of a presser constructed 'to engage the opposite sides of the receptacle and arms pivoted to the presser and to the receptacle, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the filing-receptacle, ot' a presser and arms pivoted to the receptacle and to the presser at or near the rear edge of thelatter, and constructed to allow the presser to fold outside and parallel with the back of the receptacle substantially as described.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\ AARON L. BROXVN.

\Vi tnesses:

JNo. XV. STOOKETT, J nssn Cox, Jr. 

